Sarah Nurse, Canadian Hockey Star, to Keynote 2024 Catalyst Honours
Just-announced speakers include experts on gender equity and workplace inclusion, CEOs of leading Canadian corporations.
Toronto, September 17, 2024 — Sarah Nurse, Toronto Sceptres star forward and two-time Olympian, and Teresa Resch, President of the WNBA Toronto, will keynote a fireside chat at the 2024 Catalyst Honours Conference & Dinner on 7 October. They will discuss the unique challenges, gender disparities, and systemic barriers in athletics that have impeded equity in women’s sports. Catalyst Honours is hosted by Catalyst, the global nonprofit promoting gender equity and workplace inclusion, in Toronto and online for a global audience.
Nurse is a professional hockey player for the Canadian Women’s National Team and the Professional Women’s Hockey League Toronto Franchise, the Toronto Sceptres. She won Olympic Gold and Silver and is a three-time International Ice Hockey Federation World Champion. Off the ice, Nurse is an entrepreneur and advocate. As one of the only women of colour in a male-dominated sport, she is a leading voice on diversity and inclusion in hockey.
Resch is the inaugural President of the WNBA Toronto franchise, which will begin play in the 2026 season. She has been a leader in basketball development at the global scale for nearly 20 years. For 11 seasons she was a senior leader at the Toronto Raptors, bringing basketball to the forefront of Canadian sport.
Additional just-announced sessions and speakers for the conference include:
- Demystifying AI Bias: Empowering Canadian Workplaces With Equitable AI, featuring a conversation with leading CEOs moderated by David Morgenstern, CEO, Accenture Canada.
- Rising Innovators: Women Leading the Charge in STEM, Tech, and Trades, focusing on stories and real-life examples of the positive impacts of recruiting and developing women in male-dominated fields, especially in frontline industries, moderated by Linda Hasenfratz, CEO, Linamar.
- A Call to Action: Indigenous Reconciliation and Inclusion in the Workplace, examining the current landscape of Indigenous representation in the Canadian workforce and exploring strategies for meaningful reconciliation and inclusion in the workplace.
Catalyst will also recognize nine Canadian corporate leaders who have been named Catalyst Honours Champions for 2024. Each individual has made an immense impact accelerating progress for women by championing workplace inclusion.
Launched in Canada in 2010, Catalyst Honours recognizes exceptional role models for inclusive leadership practices. Each year, individuals are nominated by colleagues and leaders within their organizations. Final decisions are made by a selection team of Catalyst experts.
The 2024 Catalyst Honours Conference & Dinner will take place in person at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto and online. This year’s theme, the Catalyst Effect, is a call to action to collectively commit to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Hundreds of professionals from global corporations, professional firms, governments, NGOs, and educational institutions are expected to attend the conference, sponsored by TD Bank Group, and the dinner, chaired by Canada Life.
Manulife is the 2024 Platinum Sponsor. TD Bank Group and Canada Life are Gold Sponsors. Accenture, Linamar, BMO, and Scotiabank are Silver Sponsors. Air Canada, Deloitte, Edward Jones, Element Fleet Management, Johnson and Johnson, and Shell Canada Limited are Bronze Sponsors.
Ticket packages and individual tickets are on sale now for both the Conference and Dinner events.
Catalyst is a global nonprofit supported by many of the world’s most powerful CEOs and leading companies to help build workplaces that work for women. Founded in 1962, Catalyst drives change with preeminent thought leadership, actionable solutions, and a galvanized community of multinational corporations to accelerate and advance women into leadership—because progress for women is progress for everyone.
Contacts
Mariana Vanin
Director, Global Communications
Catalyst
[email protected]